Cover image courtesy of Vinery Stud
Exceedance added his seventh juvenile winner for the season, and his third in the last seven days when No Limits won at Gosford on Thursday. No Limits bolted home for trainer Kris Lees by 4.1 lengths in an impressive debut performance. The 2-year-old gelding is the first foal of unraced Birthday Girl (Lonhro).
Exceedance’s oldest crop are 4-year-olds and he has put out solid figures with six individual stakes winners. Three of those have won Group races this season: G2 Ajax Stakes winner Crystal Clear, G3 Champion Fillies Stakes winner Pure Excess and G3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes winner Dance To The Boom.
Video: Watch No Limits in Race 4 at Gosford, video courtesy of Racing NSW
Vinery Stud lowered Exceedance’s fee for 2026, down to $22,000 inc GST from the $33,000 inc GST he’s been at for the last five seasons.
“He’s a horse that I feel is very much in the same part of his career as horses like Hellbent and All Too Hard were. They did a good job early and then have gone to an even better level now,” Vinery’s General Manager Adam White said.
“I think Exceedance has the potential to do that. He just needs a big one.”
A platform for the spring
Winner of the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, a race that has also been won by Champion Sire Zoustar and exciting first season sire Home Affairs, Exceedance was the first of two winners of this race for Exceed And Excel, the other being September Run.
“We think he's doing particularly well. He’s up to six individual stakes winners now, and he can get a 2-year-old. In his first crop, he got Dublin Down, who won a Maribyrnong Plate, and then went up to Sydney and won a group race as a 2-year-old in Sydney. He had Flyer, who won a Group 3 race as a 2-year-old in Adelaide,” said White.
Adam White | Image courtesy of Vinery Stud
“He’s also had some nice 2-year-old winners lately, with No Limits today and Stars Of Dom down in Melbourne on the weekend for the Hayes stable.”
Lindsay Park-trained 2-year-old filly Stars Of Dom bounced off a couple of placings to win impressively on Saturday. She will be set for bigger races in the spring.
“We will keep plans flexible, and monitor her out of each run, there's obviously the early 3-year-old race like the Quezette, or we can be a little bit more patient and target races like the William Crockett and the Red Roses down the straight in Cup Week. They're two very good options that lead into prominent springtime races,” said co-trainer Will Hayes.
“I don't think she'll be out of place that time of year and it's quite frankly a very good problem to have.”
“I don't think she'll (Stars Of Dom) be out of place that time of year and it's quite frankly a very good problem to have.” - Will Hayes
Stars Of Dom | Image courtesy of racing Photos
The weekend prior, in Queensland, Peter Robl-trained 2-year-old gelding Hard To Exceed improved off his maiden win back in March to run a strong third in the Listed Tattersall’s Stakes behind The Machine Gun (Stay Inside) and expensive colt Klocke (Zoustar).
“He’s in the paddock and will come back for the summer carnival here in Queensland,” Robl said.
“He’s a nice horse. It’s always a bit hard, as he was a home bred, and didn’t have a sales prep which puts them on the back foot a little bit early.”
“He’s (Hard To Exceed) a nice horse. It’s always a bit hard, as he was a home bred, and didn’t have a sales prep which puts them on the back foot a little bit early.” - Peter Robl
Hard To Exceed is the first foal of Hard Labour (All Too Hard) who has a weanling colt by Exceedance and is due to foal to him again this spring. She is the winner of five races, including one in Brisbane and two at the Gold Coast, and is a half-sister to stakes placed Sofie’s Gold Class (Hard Spun {USA}) who is the dam of Group 3 winner Alpha Sofie (Capitalist).
Hard To Exceed | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
“I’ve had a few (by Exceedance) through the stable. The other couple have made their way to Hong Kong. They are pretty straightforward horses but a bit later maturing. The ones I’ve had have had good temperaments and have handled life in the stable pretty well.”
Exceedance has had one winner in Hong Kong, Thousand Spirit, who was a winner at Mornington on debut and has won again since arriving in Hong Kong.
Exceedance has seven individual juvenile winners this season, with No Limits, Stars Of Dom and Hard To Exceed joined by last week’s winner Bellagio Abroad, while She’s Extra won on the same day as Hard To Exceed back in March. Also a winner in March was I’m A Beauty while Exemplary won on debut in December in Manila.
Juvenile form is only the beginning
Exceedance was not an early 2-year-old himself and his recent spate of juvenile winners doesn’t surprise White with the timing.
“We found with that first crop, quite a few came out in the latter part of the season, and it was very much like he did. He had his first start as a 2-year-old in July and he was obviously brilliant that day, although it was only at Wyong. But he won it in spectacular fashion, and you could see that he was an extremely promising type of colt,” White said.
Exceedance | Image courtesy of Vinery Stud
“That spring he went on to win the Coolmore, beating Bivouac and Libertini. When that first crop came through and he got those early Group winners, and a couple of other smart ones like Swiftfalcon and Brave One, he covered a very big book on the back of those 2-year-old results.
“When that first crop came through and he got those early group winners and a couple of other smart ones... he (Exceedance) covered a very big book that season on the back of those good 2-year-old results.” - Adam White
“He attracted a book of about 180 who are now about to turn yearlings and come through for him as well.”
Exceedance has 128 live foals in his current crop of rising-yearlings, and covered 98 mares (his smallest book) in 2025.
“There's one that we sold as a yearling called Wild Atlantic. He's won all three of his trials for the Hawkes team and is heading for the Golden Rose this spring. We are just waiting for the spring.
“But he's got some nice horses out there and we're hoping this current crop of rising 3-year-olds will have a big one in there.”
Wild Atlantic as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Affinity with the sire line
Vinery has had a long affinity with the Exceed And Excel sire line, and they currently stand both Exceedance and Headwater.
“Exceed And Excel has been a world-class stallion, for generations. We’ve got a great affiliation with him because we sold Exceed And Excel as a yearling, and we’ve bought both Headwater and Exceedance as yearlings, raced them successfully and then stood them at stud,” White said.
“Exceed And Excel has been a world-class stallion.” - Adam White
“It’s a great part of the Danehill sire line, and also exciting to see Bivouac doing exceptionally well. We sold his Oaks winner, Fireball Miss, as a yearling and she was reared here at Vinery, so we have lots of connections with the Exceed And Excel breed.”
Exceed And Excel | Image courtesy of Darley
Exceedance is selling well with a good spread of trainers purchasing his stock. In 2026, his progeny averaged $86,000 with a top price of $300,000 for the first foal of Lady Brahmos (Smart Missile) who is a winning half-sister to Hong Kong Group 3 winner Patch Of Theta (Zoustar). The yearling colt was bought by Hawkes Racing who trained Exceedance and also train Exceedance's son G1 Rosehill Guineas and G1 Randwick Guineas-placed Swiftfalcon.
“He's selling very well. They're finding homes and they've all been spread out into good stables, so that always helps. We sold one for $300,000 this year ourselves and he’s at a $20,000 service fee this year. I think he's a good horse with good numbers coming through, that breeders can use with a bit of confidence and looks to have the promise to go to another level.
“He's (Exceedance) selling very well. They're finding homes and they've all been spread out into good stables, so that always helps.” - Adam White
“He keeps the breeders' budgets intact by not being a high priced service fee horse, and he’ll give you a good return at the sales.”
Exceedance x Lady Brahmos colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Exceedance has the winners, the juvenile numbers and the stock on the ground. Now he needs the horse that changes the conversation.
